Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service

Reading through national headlines from these past few months it is clear that there are many challenges that await us in the new year. This is not the first time in our nation’s history that social divides, cultural divisions and challenges have seemed to be insurmountable. So it is not surprising to me that many individuals find themselves looking out at the current landscape and wondering how we can find the solutions needed to address the most pressing problems in our communities here in the United States and around the world. The question many of us find ourselves asking is “what is my role in this dialogue?”

Yet I have hope for our nation and find inspiration on the eve of the Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) MLK Day of Service. This annual celebration of the man Dr. King, and his legacy of peaceful gatherings and service to our communities offers a time for reflection and for action. I, just as Dr. King, desire to use philanthropy and service as a method to bridge perceived divisions and unite individuals of all backgrounds.

Since 1994, MLK Day has been recognized as a national day of service, a “day on, not a day off.” Each year, thousands of Americans across the country come together to take part in service projects, large and small, to make their communities more beautiful and more unified. Dr. King’s devotion to service is now a national tradition. No matter your age, gender, education or socioeconomic standing, as King believed, “Everybody can be great… because anybody can serve.”

There are numerous opportunities to come together and serve across the U.S. This year the Case Foundation team will be joining forces with City Year Washington D.C. and other D.C. community members at Eastern Senior High School to help turn the school, “into a more engaging, educational and vibrant place for students to learn and play.” Click here to register and join us!

If you are interested in being a part of the tradition to honor Dr. King’s work, you don’t have to stop at one day a year. Take the MLK Day Challenge and pledge to “commit to service to make your community – and your country – a better place.” Whether you can commit the entire day or only part of it, there are plenty of options to serve this year. You can even take time out of your evening to start a dialogue– over Sunday dinner – how your community is engaging and what roles we can all play.

Here are some of the many resources to help you take part in a service project:

Join Meridian International Center and local partners in D.C. for a day of bringing together skilled volunteers, community members and local organizations for the MLK Pro Bono Dream Lab. Here you can also find a host of other donation and service opportunities.

Commit to host a Sunday Supper. These events were inspired by MLK’s vision of people of diverse backgrounds interacting over a meal and discussing issues that affect their communities.

From the pulpit of a small church in Montgomery, Alabama, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a message to his congregation that would lay the groundwork for his enduring legacy of service. In talking about the importance for individuals to be concerned with the broader needs of all humanity, he insisted that life’s most persistent and urgent question is: what are you doing for others? As we celebrate and honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. this weekend, as well as the 57th Presidential Inauguration, we do so with that question in mind. Thankfully, the task of serving others has been made easier, as January 19th marks the fourth annualNational Day of Service.

The idea is simple. On Saturday, our nation will come together to support our communities’ needs. Visit the website to search for volunteer opportunities close to where you live, and if you’re in the D.C. metro area, you may consider participating in activities on the National Mall. The National Day of Service has something for everyone, with organizations representing health, education, community resilience (disaster relief), economic development, veterans and military families, faith, and the environment.

Starting at 9:30 a.m., you can join service organizations from across the country and find out how you can support their efforts during the day. Several of these organizations are offering micro-service activities like writing cards to the children’s hospital or preparing care packages for troops.

We face vast challenges as a society that can’t be solved by any single entity. And while we hope you can find a service activity you enjoy this weekend, we also encourage you to consider volunteering regularly. Commit to being a positive force for change in your community for the long haul and take the Pledge to Serve.

If you head out to serve this weekend, share your photos on Twitter using the #2013MLKDay and #GoodSpotting hashtags so your pics go into our #GoodSpotting gallery! We look forward to seeing your experiences as we all remember and honor one of the great public servants of history, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

National Day of Service Opportunities

Join the Presidential Inaugural Committee at the Service Fair on the National Mall